By Dwayne Ferreira.
Kimi Antonelli Monza win sees the Mercedes star charge from 19th to victory, extending his F1 championship lead over George Russell.
MONZA – Kimi Antonelli delivered one of the most remarkable drives of the Formula One season, charging from 19th on the grid to win his home Italian Grand Prix and deal a major blow to Mercedes team-mate George Russell’s world championship hopes.
The 20-year-old Italian completed an extraordinary recovery at Monza, overtaking Russell with just three laps remaining before taking a historic victory in front of his home crowd.
Antonelli had started near the back of the field after engine-related grid penalties appeared to have effectively ended his hopes of challenging for victory.
Instead, the championship leader carved his way through the field and emerged as a genuine contender following a combination of aggressive overtaking, strong race pace and an effective Mercedes strategy.
Antonelli makes Italian history
The victory made Antonelli the first Italian driver to win the Italian Grand Prix at Monza since 1966.
It was also the 50th Formula One victory by an Italian driver.
Russell had controlled much of the race, but his tyres began to fade during the closing stages. Antonelli closed rapidly before completing the decisive pass with three laps remaining.
He went on to secure victory and extend his advantage over Russell in the drivers’ championship to 66 points after 13 races.
Max Verstappen finished third for Red Bull, while McLaren’s Lando Norris was fourth.
For Antonelli, however, the result represented far more than another race victory. It strengthened his position at the top of the championship and kept alive his pursuit of becoming Formula One’s youngest world champion.
